


The Blood of Wolves and Men: Aurora's Shadow

by Darkstar_Master_of_Graham_Crackers



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Attempt at Humor, Blood and Gore, Comedy, Dark Fantasy, Demons, Fantasy, Gen, Magic, Swordfighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-11-02 04:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10937403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkstar_Master_of_Graham_Crackers/pseuds/Darkstar_Master_of_Graham_Crackers
Summary: There are few memories that will remain with you till the end of your days, finding the love of your life, the joy of holding your first born, or holding the mother of your children as she takes her last breath. Riordan was a blacksmith when Arden city was attacked by a legion of demons. With monster at his doorstep Riordan commits himself to an onerous alliance with strangers to make his family whole again. On his quest against time he may even discover something of his forgotten past.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The Blood of Wolves and Men is a story of my own making. My hope is to this into a series for anyone (of the right age) to enjoy. The chapter that you are about to read is what can be read in full if you buy the book from, https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Wolves-Men-Shadow-Aurora-ebook/dp/B01KNAJVEC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495108586&sr=8-1&keywords=the+blood+of+wolves+and+men
> 
> You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter.  
> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBloodofWolvesandMen/  
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/BloodofWolfnMan

Chapter 5: Second Nature (Part 1)  
The trek up the mountain was cold and harsh. Even clad in fur and armor Riordan, Creev and Orius felt the occasional chill up their spines. Each of them remained silent during their walk through the snowy forest. Riordan kept thinking about what he had been told, that he was Fenris and in order to save his wife he would need to kill Athein. His bargain with Death or the man who claimed to be Death clawed at the back of his mind.  
Riordan bumped into Orius before realizing he had stopped.  
"What are you-" Riordan stopped when he noticed something stalking around them in the foliage of forest trees.  
Orius's eyes narrowed as he slowly shifted his hand to his back reaching for the bow. A fox emerged and for a moment it stared at them before running off. Riordan still felt tensed since Orius hadn’t halted his attempt to remove his bow. In one sweeping motion Orius released his bow from his shoulder and strung one arrow, then two, three. Arrows fluttered from the air and Estacie fell one after the other from their hiding places.  
An Agrian and it’s Tamer attempted to flank them from behind. Riordan drew a pistol from his side and shot the beast between the eyes, then darted to the Tamer blade in hand, but he collapsed and his limbs became heavy, his arcane abilities overwhelmed him so far his power only proved a hindrance. Creev kept the Tamer at bay as Riordan struggled and Orius had his hands full with two Estacie. The Tamer batted Creev back with the flat side of an axe leaving Riordan undefended.  
. As Riordan knelt in the snow he had a revelation. He managed to force the burning in his body to his palm again. The Tamer raised his axe high above his head and in an instant, Riordan jammed a sword of light into the Tamer’s skull. Orius removed the leg of Estacie to his left before he impaled the one to his right with the sword detached from his bow. The one legged Estacie attempted to flee, but his efforts were thwarted when Creev rammed a dagger through his heart. Riordan stared at the sword. It was white and shimmered golden.The blade had a strange symbol something he somewhat recognized, but it faded away too quickly. Orius and Creev went from demon to demon collecting arrows and smaller things like fangs and claws, cutting and ripping them from their previous owners who wouldn't need them anymore.  
"What are you doing?"  
"You see our weapons?" Orius displayed his sword. "Some of the metal is forged with their remains and the wooden pieces are enchanted, makes them effective against demons."  
"So you enchant swords and guns and such?" Riordan asked.  
"No, we can't enchant metals we don't know how to. We use oils for swords in order to wound demons. Enchanting or using oils on bullets isn’t possible, because the bullets are metal and the oil comes off with the firing of the bullet. So guns are useless unless you're shooting a demon in the head. Although the only people who know of such enchantments are the Dwarves and they're not keen on sharing with the rest of the races. We do know that enchantments can carry over from wood to metals for a short time.” Orius exclaimed.  
“What are the arrowheads for in your pack?”  
“They have special uses in case a need arises. For example, this one is made entirely of pure silver. Another can create a small explosion and so on. Besides my weaponry, how about yours? Do you have any idea as to how you summoned that sword?"  
Riordan looked to his palm and closing and opening it.  
"I don't know, not exactly anyway, I don’t even understand how to use it."  
“For the love of the Gods. What’s to understand about parry, parry, stab it’s a sword not artillery.” Creev remarked indignantly. Orius stared at Riordan's hand. He was still perplexed as to how a Fenris could have survived this long without knowledge of what he was? "We'll be leaving momentarily. And don't forget your pistol you shouldn't leave anything behind, but from this point on try not to use it. We need to remain silent." 


	2. Chapter 5: Second Nature (Part 2)

After Orius and Creev had scavenged enough of what they needed they made their way further up the mountain. Reaching the mountain side wasn't difficult, but the cold had gotten worse the further they had gone. As night crept over them they decided to make camp in a cave hidden away from the path. The weather had turned from horrible to torturous. Orius put together a minuscule fire so that they could be warm and unnoticed.   
“How long have you been a Hand of the Archon?” Riordan asked Orius trying to break the silence.  
Orius looked up to Riordan while fixing the fire then looked back down before answering.  
“Fifthteen years I think, before this I was a Captain of the Legion. I joined the Hand when my family was murdered by demons.”  
“…I’m sorry.”   
“No need you know my pain better than any. I’d just prefer not to talk about it.”  
“Any other family?” Riordan asked.  
“Aye, my brother’s wife and daughter… I’ve been helping with raising my niece since her father’s passing. She wants to join the Hand someday. She’s not much older than your boy.”  
Creev just stared at the fire quietly poking at it with a stick.  
“What about you Creev?”  
“No.”  
“What?”  
“In all the binding of the world. Are you sure his presence here is necessary?” Creev asked looking to Orius.   
“It is.” Orius said.   
His face was a scowl as he looked at Creev. Orius had a distaste for the young man, but he couldn’t cast him out of the order without cause. Feeling the tension between the two Riordan decided to rest for the night. As Riordan drifted to sleep he felt strange as if something was weighing him down. In his daze he heard unfamiliar voices.  
“Are you sure you’ve thought this through?” A woman asked.  
“We invade along the coast. From there we penetrate their defenses and we kill Athein in the stronghold.” A man said his voice muffled and distorted by something.   
“Their defenses are sure to be near impenetrable.” The woman said.  
“That won’t be much of a problem. We’ll have the explosive ready lass.” Another voice chimed.  
Riordan could feel harsh winds and rain in his dream, but he was still unable to see anything. The voices continued their conversation leaving Riordan confused.  
“With a coordinated attack, we should be able to force ourselves through and defend our positions for a time.”  
“Then we’re settled.”  
Riordan woke from his dream with a violent shake. Orius knelt next to him while Creev already had his weapon drawn.   
“What is it?”  
“We may have unwanted guests.” Orius said pulling Riordan to his feet.


	3. Chapter 5: Second Nature (Part 3)

“Fffrrrt.” The sound of snow crunching just beyond the cave. They turned to the entrance, the view obscured by the cave walls. Estacie charged in, Riordan grabbed a piece of timber from the dead fire and smacked one of them across the face. Creev tossed an Estacie over his back and viciously slashed out his throat. Riordan and Creev grabbed one of the demons and used him as a battering ram to get through the cave. Reaching the exit the demon was dissolved by a liquid projectile. The demon’s form turned into a bloody green paste. A humanoid serpent stood before them well armed.  
“I haven’t sseen you for ssome time old hunter. I ssee that you managed to sshamble out of those catacombsss.”  
“What the hell is he?” Creev asked.  
“It's name is Hszz, serpent demon. He can spit acid.” Orius said sternly.  
Riordan took a step back. Orius put his blade back into his bow. The Estacie were starting to scramble out of the cave behind them. Riordan and the Hand were at a disadvantage with monsters on both sides. A sword glimmered into being in Riordan's hand. Hszz was stunned, but quickly caught himself when Riordan slashed at his chest. Orius in the same moment stuck two of the last four Estacie in the head with arrows. The remaining two lunged at Orius and Creev both when Riordan and Hszz stumbled down a nearby hill.  
Gripping his bow in both hands he rammed the two in the neck and chest forcing them to fall over. Orius unsheathed his dagger and dug his blade through an Estacie's eye, the other managed to scramble to his feet. Using a scrap of armor, Creev flung some of the acid that Hszz had spat at the Estacie's chest. He roared in agony then his torso collapsed in on itself before he died. Riordan was still rolling down the hill with Hszz in his grasp. Hszz forced Riordan off with a kick lifting him into the air leaving him to fall alone down the hill.  
He stopped when the back of his shoulders caught a heavy branch. He was stunned by the abrupt stop. The smell of timber burned in his throat and nostrils. Riordan ended up near a frozen lake, the ruins of a tower stood tall within the ice. Hszz projected acid from his mouth at Riordan's head getting him to duck splitting the branch from the tree. Riordan hiked up the hill to better cover himself.   
"Fenrisss I haven't sseen your kind before. I can't wait to take your head to pressent to my masster."  
"You seem to be confident. If that’s case then come and take it!"  
Hszz stalked from beside a tree, charging and slithering rapidly down the hill. Riordan dipped underneath another hail of acid and clashed swords with the serpent. Hszz nudged him back and whipped his tail behind him to trip Riordan, but he jumped over and kicked Hszz’s jaw. His neck recoiled then he rammed it forward to hit Riordan in his shoulder. With a lounge Riordan was toe to toe with Hszz as he parried a strike.   
Hszz crack Riordan in the head with the hilt of his blade causing him to stumble back. Guarding himself from a heavy blow Riordan was caught by surprise when he was whipped in his ribs with Hszz’s tail. Hszz charged again when Riordan swiped upward taking off Hszz’s right arm.  
"Argh! Fucking mongrel!"  
Hszz opened his mouth and acid dripped from his fangs, but before he could spew a thing, Orius put two arrows in his back. Hszz turned to find himself outnumbered, then retreated into the forest. Riordan took a few strides to chase after him.  
"No!" Orius bellowed.   
"We need to kill him to make sure he can't tell the rest."  
"It's too late. If he was looking for us in the cave then it's likely we're already expected at Aurora. We proceed up the mountain as planned we find the Archive so you can get stronger and reinforce the seal, any traps they've devised will be dealt with in due time."  
Riordan understood and nodded. Some grueling hours of hiking later their surroundings became noticeably barren. They had made their way to Castle Aurora a relic of a bygone age. Heavy doors were the only thing between them and what lied inside. Riordan noticed odd carvings in the doors stepping forward he inspected them further.  
"What are these markings, some kind of binding?"  
"No, at least we don't believe. We think it’s the old tongue, but we haven’t surmised it’s meaning."  
Riordan's hand brushed against the markings and something came to him. "...It's a message, Let these walls stand as a monument to our sacrifice... for our people’s sake, it is here that he sleeps... it is here that he is bound until the day of judgment. Let our victory be known to the world so they may know peace, so that our children never need to know horror again." Riordan stepped away he looked down to find one last marking of the door, Vesper Bloodline of, but the rest was too badly damaged to read.  
"We should be careful from here. I don't know where they are but there should be at least a small army somewhere around here."  
"They're behind the door." Riordan said.  
"How do you know?" Creev asked curiously.  
"I can feel them."  
"... Ok, we'll find another passageway-" Riordan pushed the door open as if in a trance. He summoned his sword radiating fire as he brandished.  
"What the hell?!" Creev yelled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any feed back you guys have would be appreciated. Also if you like the story so far you can find it here for $2.99:https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Wolves-Men-Shadow-Aurora-ebook/dp/B01KNAJVEC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495730734&sr=8-1&keywords=the+blood+of+wolves+and+men


End file.
